Saturday, December 1, 2012

The focus of record-breaking rainfall shifted southward to central California on Friday. At downtown San Francisco, where climate records began in 1850, the 1.39" broke a 133-year-old record for November 30 of 1.38" in 1879. (The airport's 1.96" failed to reach the record of 2.39" in 1973, however.) Other record rainfall amounts in the region (previous record and date in parentheses):

The 2.17" at Santa Rosa was also a record, but climate data there began only in 1998. Records also extended inland. The National Weather Service reports:

SACRAMENTO EXECUTIVE AIRPORT
1.68 INCHES...OLD RECORD 1.04 IN 1973
STOCKTON AIRPORT
1.39 INCHES...OLD RECORD 0.64 IN 1997
MODESTO AIRPORT
0.80 INCHES...OLD RECORD 0.66 IN 1997
A RECORD RAINFALL OF 0.62 INCH(ES) WAS SET AT FRESNO CA YESTERDAY.
THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 0.50 SET IN 1982.